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Pennsylvania's 17th Congressional District and its newly elected representative, Democrat Matt Cartwright, will get a turn on national television in a segment on "The Colbert Report."

Cartwright drove to Washington, D.C., on Friday during a House recess for an interview with Stephen Colbert for the comedian's "Better Know a District" feature. In the feature, Colbert introduces viewers to the congressional district's highlights, then interviews its representative.

Cartwright said Democratic leadership in the House asked him to appear on the program.

"It was an honor they had confidence in me to handle myself in that kind of pratfall-laden territory," he said. "I was filled with trepidation, of course, but I'm ever interested in promoting our region to the rest of the nation. So, I screwed up my courage and I did it."

With elected officials as the straight man and a goofy Colbert interviewing, gaffes or just plain sounding silly can be common.

"I think that's why it's vetted through House leadership. There are some people who can avoid looking silly better than others," Cartwright said.

In 2006, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi recommended that her Congressional colleagues avoid Colbert's show. Former U.S. House member Rahm Emanuel instructed Democrats not to appear on "Better Know a District." Colbert kept filming segments and Pelosi herself later appeared on the show and agreed to encourage Democrats to appear in exchange for Colbert's support of a campaign finance bill that never passed.

To prepare for his interview, Cartwright studied past segments of the feature, such as an interview with Keith Ellison, a Democratic representative from Minnesota who Cartwright has met in Washington, and the first Muslim representative, or as Colbert put it, the first "openly secret Muslim" in Congress. Cartwright brought some icons from the district to his interview, including a souvenir from the Pittston Tomato Festival, Crayola crayons and a Martin guitar.

"It was an opportunity to talk about the area a little bit. We talked about Scranton, Wilkes-Barre, Pittston," he said. "I also represent Easton and Nazareth. Easton has the Crayola crayon factory. Without getting too specific, Mr. Colbert was very interested in Crayola crayons."

The interview will likely air sometime in early May, Cartwright said.

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